The present invention relates to an apparatus for finishing pieces cut from a length of textile material unwound from a roll by sewing their leading edge, particularly for closing the leading edge of a tubular piece.
Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of presentation, the term xe2x80x9clengthxe2x80x9d is understood to designate woven or non-woven textile articles of different kinds, composed of one or more layers, even tubular and mutually different as for quality and consistency, while the term xe2x80x9cpiecexe2x80x9d is understood to designate a portion cut from said length of textile material.
In the preparation of pieces of textile material, particularly padded pieces as used for example to cover mattresses or to prepare quilts, the need is felt to finish the leading edge in order to keep the various layers of the piece properly superimposed one another and avoid staggering of the edges, so that the piece can be positioned easily for the subsequent processes.
This need is felt even more when the pieces are cut from a length of textile material composed of multiple layers and unwound from a roll, or when the length of textile material is prepared by joining multiple layers unwound from respective rolls.
Tubular pieces are also known which are used to cover, for protective purposes, blocks of rubber latex, for example in the manufacture of mattresses.
Such tubular pieces, once cut to size from the unwound length of textile material, must be closed at one end so as to form a pouch for containing the latex block.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide an apparatus that is suitable to be inserted in a line for producing pieces of textile material, particularly tubular pieces, and allows to meet this requirement.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that is relatively simple to manufacture and therefore economically advantageous.
This aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved with an apparatus for finishing a piece cut from a length of textile material unwound from a roll by sewing its leading edge, particularly for closing the leading edge of a tubular piece, characterized in that it comprises: means for causing the advancement of said length of textile material, suitable to unwind two successive portions of the length of material, for a total longitudinal extension equal to the longitudinal extension of said piece; cutting means, arranged downstream of said advancement means and suitable to cut a piece from said length of textile material with a cut that is perpendicular to said unwinding direction and forms the rear edge of the cut piece and the leading edge of the length of textile material to be unwound; positioning means, arranged downstream of said cutting means and suitable to arrange the leading edge of said unwound length of material with respect to a sewing machine; said advancement, cutting and positioning means being coordinately operatable so that: in a first step, said advancement means unwinds said length of material for a said first portion whose longitudinal dimension is such that said leading edge is engaged in said positioning means; in a second step, said positioning means is actuated so as to position said leading edge in alignment with the sewing path of said sewing machine; in a third step, said sewing machine is actuated so as to produce a stitched seam along said leading edge; in a fourth step, said advancement means unwinds a said second portion from said length of material; and in a fifth step, said cutting means cuts a piece from said length of material.